The Decoset Syndicate and SUEZ inaugurate the heating network in the Econotre eco-pole: the first...

Recycling and recovery

July.07.2017|Europe

The Decoset Syndicate and SUEZ inaugurate the heating network in the Econotre eco-pole: the first tomato greenhouses heated by energy recovered from household waste

Marc Péré, President of Decoset, and Philippe Maillard, CEO of SUEZ Recycling and Recovery France, have inaugurated the heating network of the Econotre eco-pole near Toulouse, France, in the presence of Jean-Luc Raysseguier, Mayor of Bessières. Subsidised by the ADEME (the French environmental and energy management agency), this innovative network heats tomato greenhouses with renewable energy produced by waste combustion. A process that improves the energy and environmental performance of the region.

Using heat for a more circular economy

The Occitanie region has set itself ambitious environmental targets and intends to become the first positive-energy region in Europe by 2050. The introduction of co-generation on the site (electricity and thermal energy) will help the region’s drive to improve its environmental and energy performance and has already enabled Econotre to reach an energy performance rate of 86%. It now produces 100,000 MWh of electricity per year, or the equivalent of the annual domestic electricity consumption of 17,700 households. Its objective is to produce 25,000 MWh of thermal energy for the market gardening greenhouses and to be able to produce and supply more thermal energy to help the region’s development.

A perfect example of a short commercial circuit that covers the entire Toulouse basin, this low-temperature energy recovery process allows 6,000 tonnes of tomatoes to be grown each year, without pesticides, for the local markets and retailers, and saves 2,200 tonnes of oil equivalent and 6,000 tonnes CO2 per year to meet its own heating needs.

Developed by SUEZ and its partners, this innovative solution also contributes to the economic development of the region. Almost €18M have been invested, including €15M for the construction of the greenhouses alone, to generate over time close to a hundred jobs.

Today, SUEZ recovers almost 5 million tonnes of waste as 100% renewable energy in France, meeting the heating needs of 430,000 inhabitants and the electricity needs of 580,000 inhabitants. In 2017, the Group will recover more than 9 million tonnes of waste as 100% renewable energy in Europe to meet heating needs, and will sell 7 TWh of energy, equivalent to the annual consumption of a 2-million strong conurbation, such as Vienna or Hamburg, thereby avoiding the emission of more than 1.5 million tonnes of CO2.